September was definitely one for the books! As a content creator, you are sometimes privy to different types of events, conferences and different opportunities that can help further expand your brand. Working with BHG was a dream job and it brought back memories of my childhood with Better Homes and Gardens magazines lying around my house and watching my mother make a meal from the red and white cookbook. So when I got invited to their Stylemaker event, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be amongst fellow creators and designers and hobnob with the BHG executives and staff.
So, my trip begins with a pre trip with my husband. We decided to get there a day early, see a few sites and go to a broadway show. I'm so glad my husband made the trip with me. We always have a great time and every trip feels like a mini honeymoon- The play we went to was AMAZING!!! We saw The Lion King ( my very first Broadway play!) and it definitely lived up to all it's expectations.
The day finally arrives and I'm so excited because I finally get to meet some of my social media friends that I've never met in real life and some others that I have and of course some brand new ones that I was able to make new connections with. I think that's what Better Homes and Gardens is really about- connection. Connecting to the reader, connecting to other creators all while expressing love for all things home and garden. It truly showed this day from the moment we arrived. From the beautiful floral arrangements and amazing backdrops, they really made us feel special.
The floral arrangements were stunning!
The perfect backdrops for photos!
The day consisted of various panels to inspire us and to help us be our best creative self. Listening to these different panels really helped me to better understand 1. How to dig deep and manifest our success 2. How to be trendy in how we entertain and to create wonderful spaces 3.Talking to the people behind the brand and requirements needed for being in BHG and finally 4. Photo Styling 101 which was so helpful to me and made me rethink how I style my photos.
Now this day could not have happened without the wonderful Editor in Chief Stephen Orr. He is so kind, very charismatic and you can tell that everyone over at Dotdash greatly admires him. They also knocked it out the park by inviting my gal (and mentor!) Carmeon Hamilton to be the Emcee for the day. Our main guests for the day were a dream and I was absolutely thrilled to see them in real life. Tabitha Brown is a gem. She clearly understood the assignment and created her brand to the fullest by putting God first and trusting what He has in store for her. And finally Nate Berkus and his husband Jeremiah. I've been a fan of Nate for years and is was so good to hear him speak and talk about his journey in design.
All in all, the day was AWESOME!! We ended the night with a cocktail party with a view of the city. The weather wouldn't let us be great to do a champagne toast at sunset, but we did managed to socialize outdoors anyways. The DeeJay was awesome, the finger food was to die for and the drinks were a plenty. We all took plenty of pictures and laughed and giggled throughout the night. At the end, they gave us an wonderful swag bag to take home as a token of our wonderful experience.
So, what can I say about the Better Homes and Garden Stylemaker event?? First, I was truly humbled to be invited. BHG has been around for over 100 years, spanning decades of inspiration for your home, lifestyle and garden and I got to be a part of it. I love how diverse the group of people were, from the invitees to even the people that worked there. It makes me feel good that they make it a priority to be diverse and include every walk of life in their company. My heart was full and I'm already planning on attending next year (fingers crossed) Below are some of the sponsors and vendors that put the icing on the cake for our day. Like I said before, I'm looking forward to next year already and hopefully I'll make even more new friends!
*All professional photos courtesy of Sean Sime Photography
So Until Next Time,
